Peacock Purse Mini Book

Hi, everyone...I'm Roni Johnson!

Recently, I was lucky enough to work with the Peacock Club Stamp Kit and the Doubly Proud Brag Book Project. Well, not usually one to follow directions, I always try to see if I can take pieces of a kit and switch things up a bit to create something totally new. This kit is no different. As you will see, I departed from the original instructions of the Doubly Proud Brag Book and instead turned it into a fun and functional Purse Mini Book!

Supplies: 

Peacock Club Stamp Kit – Unmounted Stamps & Paper

Peacock Club Stamp Stampers’ Project – Doubly Proud BragBook

Fibers

Velcro

Stickles Glitter Glue

Ink

Adhesive

Book Binding Tape (Optional)
Paper Piercing Tool and Cork Board
Scor-Pal or Score-it Board (Optional)
CS® Grid Ruler
Bone Folder
Scissors

Instructions:

1. First, pull out all of the matte board pieces of the brag book. You will notice there are five pieces – three large book covers, and two smaller pieces meant for the binding area.  

Set aside all of the pieces except one book cover piece. Cut this piece of chipboard in half, so it measures approximately 2 x 3-1/4”. (You won't need the second half…save it for another project.)

2. Now you have all of the pieces to create your purse book. Trim one Purple Plain to 4-1/2 x 11” and a second piece to 4-1/2 x 6”. Glue these two pieces together lengthwise to sufficiently cover your book.  (Allow about a 1-1/2” overlap at the joint.)

3. Arrange matte boards onto the cardstock as shown below, leaving about a 1/8” to 1/4” gutter between each matte board.

(Notice I added book binding tape where each section will be creased.  This adds strength to high-wear areas of your book.)

4. Notch the cardstock at each joint of the book, as shown below. Add your favorite adhesive to each tab and fold over, wrapping around the matte board.  

5. Cut a strip of Red Plain to 3-1/4 x 11”. Stamp Feather images in a random pattern. Glue this strip to the inside of the cover, hiding the notched areas. Crease at each fold, and set the purse cover aside for now.

Creating the Book Pages

To create the book itself, you’ll be creating several “signatures” (or sets of pages) for your book, using the pieces included in the Doubly Proud project kit. Some signatures will only contain one sheet of cardstock, which serves a purpose discussed in more depth later.

Assemble the signatures as follows:

1. Fold the strip of red pre-cut cardstock in half – this will be your center signature. 

2. Take two strips of Blue and one strip of Green, and stack them Blue/Green/Blue. Fold in half and crease. This forms a second signature.

3. Take two strips of Green and one strip of Blue, and stack them Green/Blue/Green. Fold in half and crease. This makes a third signature.

4. Score the remaining strips of Blue and Green horizontally at 2-3/4” and 5-1/2”. Fold the shorter flap in and then fold in half. (You now have six single-page signatures, each with a "fold out" flap.) Use a paper piercing tool and cork board to pierce stitching holes into the fold of all nine signatures, 1/2" from the top and bottom edges.

5. Instead of stitching the individual signatures to the spine of the book as in the Doubly Proud Brag Book instructions, we will use a strip of cardstock as the foundation. Cut a 3 x 9” strip of Purple Plain (or use the pre-cut strip of purple from the project). Measure and mark the center point. Next, measure and mark four additional lines 1/8” from the center point on each side, for a total of nine scores. Pierce stitching holes 1/2" from the top and bottom edges at each score line with a paper piercing tool and cork board.

6. Start by stitching the Red Signature at the center point. Stitch one of the 6-page signatures on either side of the center signature. Stitch three of the fold out page signatures on each side of the 6-page signatures. Finally score and fold the purple cardstock at the outer most signatures. 

You will notice that once your “purse” is folded up the pages fit into the natural slope of the front and back covers.

7.  Glue the pages into the center of the base of your purse book and let it dry completely.

8.  Once the book page insert has dried, you may finish off the book by embellishing the covers, adding a fiber or ribbon for a handle and a bit of Velcro under the flap for a closure.

And now you have created your very own little Purse Mini Book!

Keep in mind that this basic concept can be adapted to create larger books by simply increasing the measurements as desired. These are always a bit hit and make perfect gifts for all sorts of occasions!

Roni Johnson

http://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com/